CEL EBR ATE
BLACK Bakersfield
HISTORY MONTH
News Observer Volume 48 Number 24
Serving Kern County for Over 48 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
Celebrating Black History Month
In The Spotlight:
Dr. Arleana Waller Darlene L. Williams Contributing Writer BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—African American women have made incredible marks in shaping American history and history throughout the world. Women continue to crash through glass ceilings in whatever fields where ceilings exist and enter boldly into rooms that once only existed for men. In honor of Black History Month, the Bakersfield News Observer (BNO) celebrates one such woman, in Kern County, Dr. Arleana Waller. Waller brings her own style of “She Power” to every room she enters and every community she serves. Dr. Waller joins an expansive stage of strong resilient black women whose gifts have made room for them and they make no apology for showing up to sit at tables. In this week’s edition of IN THE SPOTLIGHT, the BNO reached out to Waller via email for a Q and A session to celebrate her many accomplishments by sharing her story. BNO: What is your name and age (if you do not mind sharing?) A: Dr. Arleana Waller; grown. (LOL) BNO: What’s the name of your company/practice? A: ShePower Leadership Academy Circle of Life Development Foundation (COLDf) aka MLKcommUNITY Initiative I am the founder and SheEO of ShePower Leadership Academy, and the founder of Circle of Life Development Foundation/MLK CommUNITY Initiative. I am the author of numerous books. I am a professional speaker and leadership expert and have presented for numerous universities, community organizations, and Fortune 500 companies. I serve on multiple executive boards including the Forbes Coaches Council, Black CEO Women Council, and Kern County Sheriff Advisory Council. I am the recipient of multiple awards such as: the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award, Congressman TJ Cox Valiant Award, CSUB Inspirational Award and Diversity Award, Senator Shannon Grove She Honors award and Woman of the Year Award. I have been nominated for the Beautiful Bakersfield Humanitarian Award and California SBDC Small Business of the Year Award. ShePower is a girl-only leadership academy. We collaborate with girls through mentorship, personal development, and diverse leadership opportunities. The mentorship part is about creating a safe space where girls can be exactly who they are in that moment. Through the mentorship and the power circles, they can see other girls in the same space where they are, and be perfectly okay with that. It is okay not to be okay. Through personal development, we bring in speakers who cover assorted topics—leadership really being a key component. Through diverse leadership opportunities, we try to partner the girls with situations that will allow them to be comfortable in power and walk into leadership
owning their ShePower. BNO: How many years has your business been in operation? A: 6 years BNO: How are you adjusting to the pandemic and how has it impacted your business? A: For ShePower, it has really been hard. The magic sauce in what we do; it’s by being in the same room, building trust, and feeling each other’s energy, and to know when I can say something and when I cannot. It is about being present in that very moment with her, so that everyone knows that I am fully committed. With COVID, you cannot do that. If you are on Zoom parents are being nosy, so girls are not going to open as much, or you are not really connected because it is not personal. But with the COLDf MLK Community Initiative, it really has launched in a way that I could not have imagined. COVID-19 ripped the band-aids off so many issues in our society; however, we are addressing as many needs as we can. A: Those issues are very heavy and very disheartening as an African American woman with two African American boys and an African American husband. It is extremely hard to stand on the side of love, which is where we must be to navigate this, and to see your race politicized, legislated, and demonized in a way that you know is not what you and many of your friends are about. BNO: Do you believe in dreams? Why or Why not? A: I believe in dreams because it keeps you Hoping and Hope fuels Change. BNO: Who do “You” say that you are? A: I am She. I am Hope. BNO: If you could speak to your younger self, what would you say? A: You are more than enough, stand in your nerd light and shine. Life really is a marathon, not a sprint. Your definition of success will change as you go and that is ok. Do not be scared to fail, just learn from it. Walk in the room like you own it, even if you don’t feel qualified. BNO: Since wealth constitutes more than just money, what does wealth mean to you? A: Wealth is realizing what you already have around you makes you wealthy. BNO: Did you face challenges such as: rejection, ridicule, lack of support or resources, if so, how did you handle it? A: I felt like the Queen of failure and rejection; being talked about, judged, and excluded. But, I never gave up and I never stopped showing up. I never stopped hoping. How I deal with it now is that I acknowledge my emotions and I understand rejection is proof that I am trying. I give myself some grace. And I refuse to let the temporary lack of support of rejection define me. I am who God says I am.
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Dr. Arleana Waller accepts the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr award 1/17/2022. (Courtesy Photo)
Dr. Arleana Waller the ShePower Global Ambassador in her office among her many awards and acknowledgements. (Courtesy Photo)
As Mandates End, State, Counties Unmask W/Caution Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media On Tuesday, Feb. 15, the statewide indoor mask mandate for vaccinated Californians expires. As COVID-19 cases decline, public health officials say the state is easing restrictions in an effort to return the state to prepandemic normalcy. “Omicron has loosened its hold on California, vaccines for children under 5 are around the corner, and access to COVID-19 treatments is improving,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, Director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). “With things moving in the right direction, we are making responsible modifications to COVID-19 prevention measures, while also continuing to develop a longer-term action plan for the state.” According to the CDPH, COVID cases are down 65% after a sudden spike late last year due to the Omicron variant. Vaccination rates are also increasing, both at the state and national levels. As of Feb. 11, 64.3% of the US population and 73.3% of California’s eligible population have been fully vaccinated, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and California state health officials. “Unvaccinated people will still need to wear masks indoors,” tweeted Gov. Gavin Newsom last week. However, not all California’s counties will be following Newsom’s lead. During a press conference on Feb. 9, Santa Clara County Health Officer and Public Health Director Dr. Sara Cody announced that the county will not be lifting mandates until officials there determine case rates, vaccinations, and hospitalizations are low enough to reopen. “Our case rates are 40% of what they were but we still have very high levels of community transmission, still higher than at any other point in the pandemic pre-omicron,” said Cody. “The risk of being exposed to someone with COVID in our community is still high.” The other eight Bay Area counties have announced that they
will follow the state’s lead. Los Angeles County will keep mask mandates indoors for vaccinated and unvaccinated people alike but could raise some outdoor event mask mandates as early as Wednesday, as long as hospitalization rates stay at their current level. Los Angeles County has the highest COVID case rate in the state, followed by San Diego and Riverside counties, according to state health officials. Both San Diego and Riverside counties plan on ending their indoor mask mandates along with the state on Tuesday. Last week, Newsom’s administration implemented measures to make sure statewide COVID case rates continue to decline. On Feb. 9, Newsom signed SB 113 and SB 114, extending paid COVID-19 sick leave until Sept. 30 of this year, and providing $6.1 billion in relief for California businesses, respectively. “As California continues to lead the nation’s economic recovery, today’s action deepens our commitment to supporting the workers and businesses that have sustained us all during this unprecedented pandemic and are driving our economy,” said Newsom. “We’re ensuring that workers have the time they need to take care of themselves and their loved ones, expanding our nationleading small business relief grant program and supporting the businesses whose innovation and entrepreneurial spirit help make California the fifth largest economy in the world,” he continued. Many private establishments across the state may continue mask requirements in their places of business but a majority of California’s counties have announced that they will be lifting mask mandates for vaccinated people, following the lead of the state. On Feb. 10, Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 115, authorizing a $1.9 billion COVID-19 relief package to bolster the state’s ongoing emergency response.
“California has led the nation’s fight against COVID-19 with a comprehensive response that has saved countless lives. As we emerge from the Omicron surge, we’re not letting our guard down,” said Newsom. “The COVID Emergency Response Package will ensure the state has the resources to continue tackling this challenge head-on, w i t h funding to enhance our testing and vaccination efforts, support frontline workers, strengthen our health care systems and battle dangerous misinformation. I thank our legislative leaders for their continued commitment to protecting the health of our families and communities as we navigate the evolving pandemic,” the governor continued. California Black Media’s coverage of COVID-19 is supported by the California Health Care Foundation.
Take One!
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Archivists Study Barbershop’s Civil Rights Artifacts
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) –– Archivists and volunteers will soon begin combing through decades of artifacts from a Tuscaloosa barbershop central to the city’s civil rights history with the goal of determining which pieces in the vast collection should be included in a future museum. Rev. Thomas Linton died in 2020 but before his death he collected a gigantic array of historical items such as newspaper clippings or artifacts related to the civil rights fight as well as other materials such as dozens of spittoons, a collection of shaving mugs and three wooden handcrank telephones, the Tuscaloosa News reported. Next week, archivists and volunteers from the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History and Reconciliation Foundation will start combing through the collection. The team will make an inventory and catalogue of the treasure trove. Tim Lewis is the foundation’s co-president. He is coordinating the preservation effort and has brought in people who have experience in preservation work. Tom Wilson, who’s retired from the University of Alabama libraries and Bill Bomar, executive director of the University of Alabama museums are both part of the effort as well as Ph.D. students and other volunteers. “We’re just starting the process of going through, to inventory what’s in the boxes,” Lewis told the newspaper, “to tag, label, take pictures, and put together a database.” During the struggle for civil rights, the barbershop was often a gathering place for people involved in the struggle. Autherine Lucy, who became the first Black student at the University of Alabama, went to the shop to clean up after racists threw food and garbage on her. On June 9, 1964 activists protesting a segregated courthouse ducked into the shop as opponents attacked them outside. Linton was in contact with U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to arrange hospital care and bail money for those beaten and arrested. One of the artifacts gathered from the barbershop is the receipt from the poll tax Linton paid to vote in 1954. Poll taxes were one of the many ways that segregationists used to try to keep Black people from voting. Linton framed his receipt and hung it on the wall. The archival work was originally going to be done at the barbershop but after mold and a leaky roof were discovered officials decided to gather the materials and bring them to a separate location.
Deputy Who Shot Homeless Black Man Won’t Face Charges SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) –– An Orange County sheriff’s deputy won’t face criminal charges for shooting a homeless man with mental health issues who was stopped for jaywalking, according to a review released Friday. The deputy believed that Kurt Reinhold was reaching for his partner’s gun during a Sept. 23, 2020, struggle and posed a danger to the deputies and other people nearby, according to a review by the county district attorney’s office. The results of the investigation were contained in a letter to Sheriff Don Barnes that was publicly released Friday. The death of the 42-year-old Reinhold, who was Black, sparked protests and a wrongful death lawsuit by Reinhold’s family. Two deputies assigned to homeless outreach spotted Reinhold in San Clemente and tried to stop him as he walked across a street, although they disagreed at first on whether he had jaywalked, according to audio from microphones worn by the deputies. Cellphone video from a bystander showed the deputies repeatedly telling Reinhold to stop while he denied doing anything wrong. The confrontation escalated with the agitated Reinhold repeatedly telling a deputy who put out a hand to stop him: “Stop touching me.” Reinhold was tackled and all three men fell to the ground. During a struggle, Deputy Jonathan Israel told investigators that he felt Reinhold grabbing for his holster and believed he had drawn the gun. On the bystander’s video, Israel was heard yelling several times: “He’s got my gun!” Deputy Eduardo Duran then shot Reinhold twice. Surveillance video from a nearby hotel showed Reinhold appearing to grab at Israel’s gun or holster, but his family has said he was simply flailing. The shooting review by the district attorney’s office concluded that Reinhold hadn’t been jaywalking but prosecutors say the deputies were justified in stopping Reinhold because he had illegally crossed an intersection against a red light, the Orange County Register reported. Reinhold’s family released a statement Friday that said the report confirms that the deputy and his partner “had no reason whatsoever to stop Mr. Reinhold,” the Register reported. “This was a racially motivated stop aimed at harassing Mr. Reinhold, nothing more,” it said. “The deputies’ escalating tactics – including having a Taser drawn and tackling Mr. Reinhold to the ground – directly contributed to the deputies’ unlawful use of deadly force against a man who was unarmed and had not committed a crime.” His family has said that Reinhold suffered from mental illness, sometimes had difficulty staying on his medication, moved around the state and had been in San Clemente about 30 days before he was killed, the Register reported.